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The Long, Hot Winter: the Impact of the California Drought

This entry was posted on January 31, 2014 by beprepared.

While the Northeast and Midwest shiver through one of the coldest and snowiest winters in recent history, other parts of the country would trade their palm trees and avocados for just a little rainfall. Earlier this month, California’s governor declared an official drought emergency. Ten other states have also been labeled as “disaster sites” by Federal Agriculture officials.

Parts of Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah are all facing historically low water levels. The lakes and reservoirs losing water in these states have led to decreased water supplies in the West. This prolonged dry spell has even contributed to several wildfires.

According to NBC news, Governor Brown believes this is the worst drought California has seen in 100 years. He’s asking Californians to cut their water usage by 20 percent.

Since everyday services (like gas and electricity) are not affected by droughts, it can be hard to think of a drought as an emergency situation. However, it still doesn’t hurt to be prepared. Having a ready supply of home water storage will help you during a drought. See our water storage products for more great options to beat a drought or another emergency.

For helpful tips on how to save water in a drought, check out Fema.gov’s list of water conservation tips. Also, this “Water—Use it Wisely” infographic illustrates 100+ ways to conserve water you may have never considered before.

Learn how to conserve water by taking our “Water Challenge: One Gallon of Water for One Day.” You’ll be surprised at how much water you use in a typical day, especially when you only have one gallon for your cooking, drinking, and sanitation needs. Use this challenge to determine how much water to store for your family’s home water storage. Most people find that they want the "luxury" of a few additional gallons per day.